The Herd beat the Mavericks, get beat by the Bunnies

The Bison women’s basketball fell short against SDSU at home on Thursday. The now 21-9 Jackrabbits beat NDSU 85-58 and were ahead the whole duration of the game. NDSU was able to cut their deficit to just six points at the end of the first quarter but weren’t able to push past the Jackrabbit’s offense.

Bison guard Sofija Zivaljevic led the team in both points (18) and assists (4). Michelle Gaislerova was just short of scoring double digits with 9 points added to the board for the junior guard. Sophomore Cirkeline Rimdal ended with seven points, her second-best scoring night of the season. The Bison were able to outscore the SDSU in the third quarter by one point but couldn’t cut the deficit to get ahead.

The team shot 40.0-percent from downtown and 37.0-percent from the field, both are improvements from their win against UND last week. Although percentages were up, the Jackrabbits were too efficient offensively for NDSU, and after a 20-4 run in the final quarter, SDSU took home the win at 85-58.

However, the team did end the regular season on a high note in a win against the Omaha Mavericks at 67-64. With a close and exciting ending, this was a great way for the Bison to end their season at the Scheels Center.

Leading the team in points was junior forward Emily Dietz (17) who also secured a double-double with 11 rebounds. Following Dietz in double digits was senior forward Rylee Nudell and guard Sofija Zivaljevic, both players had 13 points apiece. Nudell joined Dietz also getting a double-double and a game-high 13 rebounds. Both Nudell and Zivalijevic were also honored for senior night for their final game at the Scheels Center.   

The team went 72.2 from the free-throw line but struggled beyond the arc only making four of their 15 three-pointers.

The Bison and Mavericks fought the whole game for the lead, Omaha started off strong leading 19-8 in the first quarter. The Bison answered to this run in the second quarter, taking the lead at 23-21. In the fourth quarter, the game was tied at 53-53, but NDSU answered by scoring five free throws in the final minute of the game, securing the victory in their final home game of the season.